The Rifles ethos of the ‘thinking soldier’ is one which permeates throughout the history of the Regiment and continues today. Tight discipline and adherence to orders was required to hold traditional infantry formations and achieve high rates of fire. But light troops needed a different approach based more on self discipline, situational awareness, and initiative. This ethos is still present in the Regiment today.

Since the formation of the regiment in 2007, The Rifles have been on numerous operations, training missions, and humanitarian missions all of which show the breadth of work that The Rifles do. These have included humanitarian work during the Ebola outbreak in Sierra Leone, anti-poaching training for park rangers in Gabon, training missions with the Kurdish Peshmerga, as well as operations in Iraq, Afghanistan, and Kosovo. Closer to home the Regiment has also been involved with evacuations during some of the UK’s worst flooding.

This modern Regiment echoes its predecessors quick movements and ‘thinking soldier’ with its motto ‘Swift and Bold’, which encompasses all it is to be a Rifleman. The Regiment prides itself on being a forward looking, innovative infantry regiment, relying on mutual respect and self-discipline to get the job done.